Homeless Capital of America

Ashley Martin

ENG 105

09/11/2015

Homeless Capital of America

“Homelessness Increasing in Major US Cities”, “Homelessness Hunger Climbing in US Cities”, “Homeless People can’t sit on Sidewalks in More Than Half of US cities”. How often do we see these titles as headlines in the newspapers? In this day and age, not so often as homelessness has been a years long battle; especially for LA county as the infamous Skid Row and dozens of other metropolitan areas of the county increase their numbers of homelessness despite the efforts to alleviate some or all of the population. This is particularly true in regard to the homeless Veteran population that is said to have increased 6% this year along with 12% more adding to the general population of homeless Americans. Yet, if there are efforts to decrease or possibly end homelessness where does the problem lie? Is it funding? Is it laws? Is it the programs? Let’s take a look.

            When we think or hear homeless our mind takes us to these set stereotypes for the population and we come up with descriptions like poor hygiene, poor health, missing teeth, old, drunk. Truth is, most times these descriptions are quite spot on and it is saddening to some but gives caution to others. We do our best to steer clear from them, we don’t allow them to finish their question regardless of the context; we do this as if we fear them or don’t care that they are around.
- can you develop this further with a brief explanation of where these stereotypes come from (you mention years of stereotyping below-so how does these ideas stick around for so long) and the extent to which these ideas influence the way people interact and support those who are homeless? That detail would lead well into the upcoming section that gives an example of 1) someone who challenges negative stereotypes and 2) an example of how mistreatment/neglect of someone can effect them more than we think

We do these things based on the years of stereotyping but do we ever stop to think how this might make them feel? According to a homeless Veteran John Rogers who lives on the streets of Los Angeles himself, this kind of treatment makes him feel “non-person.” Yet, we don’t think about the person John used to be until we hear a story like his.  John Rogers came from a poor family where his parents had to work all the time due to it and his brother became his primary caregiver, that same brother eventually got drafted into the Army and died. After the tragedy, John volunteered himself in the Vietnam War and came back with PTSD and poverty due to the low pay of his income in the service. During his interview he jokes about his stay in the psychiatric ward after that and the fact that he’s given all of his faith in God for forgiveness for what he’s been through and done at war and for a better tomorrow. He talks like anyone else would about sports and trying to find happiness despite all of the daily struggles and it’s not until we hear this that we question, what are we doing for him? What is the county doing? The state? America?

            -great transition and follow up topic
Recently, city leaders of Los Angeles county have promised to end homelessness altogether and VA secretary Robert McDonald and Mayor Eric Garcetti have also promised to solve the homeless Veteran’s crisis by the end of 2015. Yet with a marked 12 and 6% increase to those numbers…..
-note to consider: when you further develop this paragraph and idea, can you find a way to connect the influence of negative stereotypes on individual to awareness and action when it comes to new attempts at reducing our homeless population.  Put in another way, do you think that the flood of negative representations we find ourself surrounded by along with lack of information regarding what it means to be homeless will make it easier for Angelinos to dismiss these new initiatives and choose to not inform themselves or get involved? 

References:

http://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-va-homeless-plan-20150214-story.html